Rainer Eppelmann | |
|---|---|
 Eppelmann in 2008 | |
| Minister for Disarmament and Defence of East Germany | |
| In office 12 April 1990 – 2 October 1990 | |
| Minister-President | Lothar de Maizière |
| Preceded by | Theodor Hoffmann(asMinisters of Defence) |
| Succeeded by | Gerhard Stoltenberg(asMinisters of Defence) |
| Minister without Portfolio | |
| In office 5 February 1990 – 12 April 1990 Serving with Tatjana Böhm, Sebastian Pflugbeil, Gerd Poppe,Walter Romberg, Klaus Schlüter,Wolfgang Ullmann,Matthias Platzeck | |
| Chairman of the Council of Ministers | Hans Modrow |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| Member of theBundestag forBrandenburg (Fürstenwalde – Strausberg – Seelow; 1990–1994) | |
| In office 10 November 1994 – 18 October 2005 | |
| Preceded by | multi-member district |
| Succeeded by | multi-member district |
| In office 20 December 1990 – 10 November 1994 | |
| Preceded by | Constituency established |
| Succeeded by | Mathias Schubert |
| Member of theVolkskammer forBerlin | |
| In office 5 April 1990 – 2 October 1990 | |
| Preceded by | Constituency established |
| Succeeded by | Constituency abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1943-02-12)12 February 1943 (age 82) |
| Political party | Christian Democratic Union(1990–) |
| Other political affiliations | Christian Democratic Union (East)(1990) Democratic Awakening(1989–1990) |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 5 |
| Residence | Berlin |
| Alma mater | Paulinum |
Rainer Eppelmann (German pronunciationⓘ) (born 12 February 1943 inBerlin), is a German politician. Known for his opposition in theGerman Democratic Republic, he became Minister for Disarmament and Defense in thelast cabinet. He is now a member of theCDU.
The erection of theBerlin Wall forced him to drop out of the school he had attended inWest Berlin in 1961 and he was forbidden from taking his Abitur exams in the East for refusing to join theFree German Youth movement.
He then worked as an assistant to a roofer before doing a job training for bricklayer. He is a pacifist.[1] In 1966, for refusing both regular service andBausoldat (construction soldier in theNational People's Army), he was brutally beaten and arrested by theStasi, and put into prison for eight months where he was starved, tortured, abused and interrogated.
Later, he studiedTheology at the theological school inBerlin, an education he completed in 1974 with two exams. He then worked as aLutheran pastor in at Samariterkirche inBerlin-Friedrichshain and took part in the opposition,[2] such as being the editor ofsamizdat publications withThomas Welz. It has been claimed that during this period Eppelmann had contact with theCIA.[3][4]
In 1990, Eppelmann was one of the founding fathers of theDemocratic Awakening, becoming its president. Thus, he took an active part in the round table of 1990, preparing theGerman reunification. From 18 March 1990 to 2 October 1990 (when it ceased to exist) he was a member of theVolkskammer. He wasMinister for Disarmament and Defence of East Germany in the cabinet ofHans Modrow and later in the one ofLothar de Maizière. When theDemocratic Awakening joined theChristian Democratic Union in August 1990, Eppelmann became a member and, later, the assisting chairman of the worker's division of the CDU, the CDA.
He was a member of theBundestag from1990 to2005 for theChristian Democratic Union. Then, he was chairman of thecommission that coped with the history of theGerman Democratic Republic.
Eppelmann's trademark is his "Berliner Schnauze", anidiom that is supposed to bring him close to the people ofBerlin.
Eppelmann is married and has five children. In April 2023, he was one of the 22 guests at the ceremony in which formerChancellorAngela Merkel was decorated with theGrand Cross of the Order of Merit for special achievement byPresidentFrank-Walter Steinmeier atSchloss Bellevue in Berlin.[5]
Both retrieved January 2, 2007
